The Dalai Lama’s Birthday &
National Fried Chicken Day
“Religion is no more the parent of morality
than an incubator is the mother of a chicken.”
~Lemuel K. Washburn
While pecking around for a name, the residents of a small town in Alaska almost settled on the name Ptarmigan. (…heh?) Problem was that nobody there could agree on how to spell it. Seemingly determined to become the butt of jokes, they simply decided on the name “Chicken” instead. Moist, plump, juicy, and with all the delicacy and richness you’d expect, the year-round population of Chicken, Alaska usually wavers somewhere between 17 and 37 people. And when visiting you’ll find the usual breasts, legs, and thighs – as part of the poultry and the local citizenry alike. But if you’re on the hunt for a fried chicken fast-food chain, you might not find it in Chicken but perhaps in a town close by.
Now most folks either just plain ol’ love or really hate fried chicken…I’m in the first group. My friend, Lynda, makes the most mouth-wateringly delicious, spicy fried chicken I’ve ever had. (I wish I could eat it every day!) In the off chance of your being lucky enough to ever experience Lynda’s amazing culinary craft for yourself, as per the 2007 Bon Appetit search for the “Best Fried Chicken in the U.S,” you’ll need to travel either to Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN, Price’s Chicken Coup in Charlotte, NC, or to Willa Mae’s Scotch House in New Orleans to find anything close to hers!
And if you’re not a gourmet, and don’t mind your chicken fresh from the hopper and served up in a bucket while tailgating, there are pedestrian mainstream varieties available, too. The most famous chain is the one with the old dude with the white hair, beard and suit…you know who I’m talking about. “The Colonel” made fried chicken his finger-lickin' lifetime passion. As the company’s spokesman, he touted its eleven secret herbs and spices all day, every day.
And then there is that other group that despises fried chicken. In the event that you have the great fortune to chat with the Dalai Lama, whatever you do - don’t mention fried chicken - it’s a very touchy subject for His Holiness. Psssst…in case you didn’t know, he’s actually asked the parent company of “you-know-who” to refrain from opening their fast food outlets in his homeland of Tibet. So while fried chicken won’t make its way to Mt. Everest anytime soon thanks to the Dalai Lama, some other gastronomic who-dunit’s like “Pizza Gut” and “Taco Hell,” both owned by the Colonel’s parent company, will. (How could Mr. Lama hate fried chicken but be okay with mass-produced doughy pizzas and ersatz Mexican food?)
To his great credit, the Dalai Lama doesn’t judge others for enjoying the Colonel’s Original Secret or even his Extra Crispy Recipes. (Whew…what a relief. My partner Richard and I went on vacation to Puerto Rico, and instead of experiencing the delicious native cuisine, we mostly consumed variety buckets along with industrial sized sodas, instead.) In His Holiness’s letter to the folks who make that fried chicken so mmm-mmm good, the Dalai Lama stated that he has been “particularly concerned with the sufferings of chickens.”
Nobel Peace Prize winner, Birthday-boy, recipient of numerous human rights and humanitarian awards, the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, not to mention the hero of hens everywhere, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, lives in the mountain town of Dharamsala in northern India, where he maintains a government in exile. And while The Dalai Lama enjoys a reputation of sainthood that’s supported by his sage words and humanistic deeds, good guess is that he won’t be enjoying Fried Chicken on his birthday or at any other occasion.
But in the event that you happen to love the Southern Fried bird, just be careful making it. The causes of grease fires are often attributed to pans of hot oil being left on a burning stove. So if by chance your range is engulfed in flames - either in Chicken, Alaska, in your own hometown, or even in Dharamsala - extinguish the grease fire by sprinkling baking soda all over it until the flames are out.
And so, teaching us to approach love and cooking with both mindfulness and reckless abandon, our birthday-boy, The Dalai Lama, has lovingly reproached “The Colonel” for his continuing to cook and recklessly deep-fat fry those tasty birds, anywhere - but particularly in Tibet.
Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com). Please consider the environment.
National Fried Chicken Day
“Religion is no more the parent of morality
than an incubator is the mother of a chicken.”
~Lemuel K. Washburn
While pecking around for a name, the residents of a small town in Alaska almost settled on the name Ptarmigan. (…heh?) Problem was that nobody there could agree on how to spell it. Seemingly determined to become the butt of jokes, they simply decided on the name “Chicken” instead. Moist, plump, juicy, and with all the delicacy and richness you’d expect, the year-round population of Chicken, Alaska usually wavers somewhere between 17 and 37 people. And when visiting you’ll find the usual breasts, legs, and thighs – as part of the poultry and the local citizenry alike. But if you’re on the hunt for a fried chicken fast-food chain, you might not find it in Chicken but perhaps in a town close by.
Now most folks either just plain ol’ love or really hate fried chicken…I’m in the first group. My friend, Lynda, makes the most mouth-wateringly delicious, spicy fried chicken I’ve ever had. (I wish I could eat it every day!) In the off chance of your being lucky enough to ever experience Lynda’s amazing culinary craft for yourself, as per the 2007 Bon Appetit search for the “Best Fried Chicken in the U.S,” you’ll need to travel either to Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN, Price’s Chicken Coup in Charlotte, NC, or to Willa Mae’s Scotch House in New Orleans to find anything close to hers!
And if you’re not a gourmet, and don’t mind your chicken fresh from the hopper and served up in a bucket while tailgating, there are pedestrian mainstream varieties available, too. The most famous chain is the one with the old dude with the white hair, beard and suit…you know who I’m talking about. “The Colonel” made fried chicken his finger-lickin' lifetime passion. As the company’s spokesman, he touted its eleven secret herbs and spices all day, every day.
And then there is that other group that despises fried chicken. In the event that you have the great fortune to chat with the Dalai Lama, whatever you do - don’t mention fried chicken - it’s a very touchy subject for His Holiness. Psssst…in case you didn’t know, he’s actually asked the parent company of “you-know-who” to refrain from opening their fast food outlets in his homeland of Tibet. So while fried chicken won’t make its way to Mt. Everest anytime soon thanks to the Dalai Lama, some other gastronomic who-dunit’s like “Pizza Gut” and “Taco Hell,” both owned by the Colonel’s parent company, will. (How could Mr. Lama hate fried chicken but be okay with mass-produced doughy pizzas and ersatz Mexican food?)
To his great credit, the Dalai Lama doesn’t judge others for enjoying the Colonel’s Original Secret or even his Extra Crispy Recipes. (Whew…what a relief. My partner Richard and I went on vacation to Puerto Rico, and instead of experiencing the delicious native cuisine, we mostly consumed variety buckets along with industrial sized sodas, instead.) In His Holiness’s letter to the folks who make that fried chicken so mmm-mmm good, the Dalai Lama stated that he has been “particularly concerned with the sufferings of chickens.”
Nobel Peace Prize winner, Birthday-boy, recipient of numerous human rights and humanitarian awards, the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, not to mention the hero of hens everywhere, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, lives in the mountain town of Dharamsala in northern India, where he maintains a government in exile. And while The Dalai Lama enjoys a reputation of sainthood that’s supported by his sage words and humanistic deeds, good guess is that he won’t be enjoying Fried Chicken on his birthday or at any other occasion.
But in the event that you happen to love the Southern Fried bird, just be careful making it. The causes of grease fires are often attributed to pans of hot oil being left on a burning stove. So if by chance your range is engulfed in flames - either in Chicken, Alaska, in your own hometown, or even in Dharamsala - extinguish the grease fire by sprinkling baking soda all over it until the flames are out.
And so, teaching us to approach love and cooking with both mindfulness and reckless abandon, our birthday-boy, The Dalai Lama, has lovingly reproached “The Colonel” for his continuing to cook and recklessly deep-fat fry those tasty birds, anywhere - but particularly in Tibet.
Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com). Please consider the environment.
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